Top 25 roundup: Inaugural title defense, No. 3 UConn

Alex Karaban scored 20 points and had a career-high seven blocks to help No. 3 UConn open its season with a 92-56 win over Sacred Heart on Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.

Karaban made 7 of 9 field goal attempts, including 5 of 7 from behind the 3-point arc for the two-time defending national champions. He also had six rebounds and seven assists.

UConn got 18 points and 10 rebounds from freshman forward Liam McNeeley. Solo Ball made 4 of 7 3-point attempts and added 16 points, and Michigan transfer Taris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

The Huskies blocked 13 shots and made 13 of 31 three-point attempts, 41.9 percent, in the win. The Pioneers (0-2) shot 33.9 percent from the field (19 of 56) and were 6 of 15 (40 percent) from 3-point range. Amiri Stewart led the Sacred Heart offense with 13 points, while Bryce Johnson added 10 points.

No. 11 Auburn 94, Vermont 43;

Myles Kelly hit seven 3-pointers for his 21 points as the Tigers routed the visiting Catamounts in Auburn, Ala..

Kelly, a Georgia Tech transfer, missed just two of his 3-point attempts and led a cast of five scorers that finished in double figures for Auburn in the season opener. Denver Jones added 16 points, Chaney Johnson had 13, Johnny Broom chipped in 12 and Chad Baker-Mazzara scored 11. Johnson grabbed nine rebounds and Broom had seven.

TJ Long finished with three points, while Seth Joba led the Catamounts (1-1) with eight.

No. 15 Creighton 99, UT Rio Grande Valley 86

Ryan Kalkbrenner erupted for a career-high 49 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Bluejays to a season-opening victory over the Cowboys in Omaha, Neb.

Kalkbrenner, the Big East Conference Prep Player of the Year, made 20 of 22 shots from the floor and also sank both of his attempts from 3-point range. He fell well short of the single-game school record set by Bob Portman, who scored 51 points against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on December 16, 1967.

With 1,820 career points, Kalkbrenner passed Kyle Korver (1,801) for sixth all-time in school history. Stephen Ashworth drained all 17 of his free throws to cap his 25-point performance. Hassan Abdul Hakeem had a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds for UT Rio Grande Valley (0-2).

No. 16 Arkansas 76, Lipscomb 60;

Freshman Boogie Fland scored 17 points in his collegiate debut and the Razorbacks’ defense was the difference in a win over the Bisons in Fayetteville, Ark.

It was the first game for Arkansas under coach John Calipari. Jonelle Davis added 15 points for Arkansas, while Ivicic had 12. The Razorbacks shot 56.7 percent from the floor despite going just 4-for-19 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Jakob Ognasevich led the Bisons (1-1) with 16 points, with Gyasi Powell and Will Pruitt scoring 12 apiece. Lipcomb made just 38.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

No. 17 Indiana 80, SIU Edwardsville 61

Mackenzie Mgbako scored 31 points and added nine rebounds as the Hoosiers opened their season with a win over the Cougars in Bloomington, Ind.

Mgbako hit 13 of 17 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 from the 3-point arc. Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo each added 15 points for Indiana.

Ray’Sean Taylor scored 17 points for SIU Edwardsville (1-1), but made just 7 of 22 shots, including 3 of 10 from the 3-point arc.

No. 25 Rutgers 75, Wagner 52

Dylan Harper scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting in his college debut and the Scarlet Knights cruised past the visiting Seahawks in Piscataway, NJ, in both teams’ season opener.

Harper added four assists, three rebounds and three steals and was backed by another freshman, Lathan Somerville, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. Rutgers used a 20-0 first-half run to quickly take over.

Keyontae Lewis led Wagner with 12 points and RJ Greene had eight points and seven boards.

–Within field level